Equipment with a pivoting handle, in particular to be suspended in an aircraft console

ABSTRACT

An equipment with pivoting handles. The equipment includes a support and a pivoting handle that are assembled by at least one pivot pin, the pivoting handle being able to rest on at least one surface of the support. The handle includes at least one bearing surface and the equipment includes at least one pad of elastic material arranged to be compressed against the support by the bearing surface when the handle is resting on the surface of the support. The equipment may be applied for example to suspended equipment for aircraft consoles.

The invention relates to an equipment with a pivoting handle, and inparticular to a suspended equipment for an aircraft console. Theequipment has to be able to be fitted into a system and removed fromthis system, for example to be updated or replaced. In the preferredcase of an aircraft console, the equipment installed on the console isadvantageously mounted locked suspended via its front face on theconsole and has a pivoting handle to make it easier to install.

Once the equipment has been installed in a system, the pivoting handleis folded back. When an operator wishes to extract this equipment fromthe system, particularly from a system with significant constraints onsmall size, he often finds the handle jammed, and extraction is thenoften performed with damage to the equipment and to any nearby equipmentthat might be present in the same system, by using tools of the levertype in order to access the handle. There are many reasons why thehandle might jam, for example a tight space constraint forcing variousequipments to be fitted into one and the same system in the most compactway possible, or alternatively misalignment leading to the handlejamming as it is installed in the system.

The invention proposes an equipment structured so that the handle isautomatically rendered accessible when the equipment is to be extracted.For that, the handle is made accessible by automatic ejection, afterunlocking, for example, of the equipment and of the associated pivotinghandle, thus facilitating the actual extraction of the equipment. Themeans allowing this automatic ejection of the handle are simple andinexpensive to assemble and to manufacture.

According to the invention, there is provided an equipment comprising asupport and a pivoting handle which are assembled by at least one pivotpin, the pivoting handle being able to rest on at least one surface ofthe support, characterized in that the handle comprises at least onebearing surface and in that the equipment comprises at least one pad ofelastic material arranged in such a way as to be compressed against thesupport by the bearing surface when the handle is resting on the surfaceof the support.

The invention will be better understood and other particulars andadvantages will become apparent from the description hereinafter andfrom the appended drawings, given by way of examples, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts an overall perspective view of a preferredembodiment of part of the equipment according to the invention;

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a profile view of a detail of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a perspective view of a preferredembodiment of another part of the equipment according to the invention;

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a sectioned view of a detail of FIG. 3.

The equipment according to the invention comprises a support. A pivotinghandle is assembled with the support by at least one pivot pin. Thepivoting handle may rest on at least one surface of the support when thehandle is folded back, making the equipment as a whole more compact. Thehandle may in fact rest on all or part of one or several surfaces of thesupport. The handle comprises at least one bearing surface. Theequipment comprises at least one pad of elastic material which issituated between the bearing surface and the support so that when thehandle is folded back after the equipment has been installed, that is tosay when the handle is resting on the surface of the support, the pad ofelastic material is compressed between the bearing surface and thesupport. In all the remainder of the text, unless mentioned otherwise,pad and pad of elastic material will be used interchangeably. Thus, uponextraction, after unlocking, the compressed pad tends to revert to itsinitial, that is to say uncompressed, state, moving the bearing surfaceaway from the support, that is to say moving these items away from oneanother, therefore ejecting the handle which was folded back onto thesurface of the support and thus making it accessible to the operator whocan then easily extract the equipment. The elasticity of the pad ofelastic material is determined in such a way as to both allow the handleto be folded back during installation and allow the same handle to beejected during extraction.

The equipment according to the invention is particularly advantageous insystems with a tight constraint on small size, because it allows bothgood compactness of the equipment when it is installed, and unjamming ofthe handle by ejection making extraction of the equipment easier andavoiding damage to this same equipment or to nearby equipment that mightbe present in the system. In the preferred case of a console for anaircraft, by allowing the equipment to be very compact with nosignificant protrusion on this same equipment the invention on the onehand makes it possible for the hand that the pilot slides over theconsole not to encounter any obstacles and, on the other hand, does notimpair the pilot's view of the keys of the equipment suspended from theconsole, even the keys near the handle.

FIG. 1 schematically depicts an overall perspective view of a preferredembodiment of part of the equipment according to the invention. Asupport 7 of the equipment comprises a surface 2 of the support 7 onwhich surface a handle 1 rests when the handle 1 is folded back againstthe equipment after the latter has been installed. The support 7preferably comprises a boss 5 which bears a pivot pin 6. The handle 1 isassociated with the support 7 via the pivot pin 6. The arrow D indicatesthe direction of rotation of the handle 1 when the handle 1 is foldedback against the equipment, that is to say when the handle 1 is restingagainst the surface 2 of the support 7. The handle 1 comprises a bearingsurface 3 which compresses a pad of elastic material 4 against thesupport 7, that is to say more specifically in this instance, againstthe boss 5. The boss 5 advantageously comprises a step 21, the pad ofelastic material 4 being fixed at the foot of the step 21, that is tosay on a surface 14, while the pivot pin 6 is included in the step 21.Upon extraction, the pad of elastic material 4 pushes the bearingsurface 3 back and moves it away from the surface 14 on which the pad ofelastic material 4 is fixed. The handle 1 is therefore ejected, that isto say pushed back from the surface 2 of the support 7 on which it wasresting so as to be made accessible to any operator there might be, byrotation about the pivot pin 6 in the opposite direction to the arrow D.The handle 1 still remains secured to the support 7 by the pivot pin 6.

The pad of elastic material 4 is preferably fixed to the support 7, butmay just as easily be fixed to the bearing surface 3 of the handle 1.The support 7 preferably comprises a boss 5 which comprises the pivotpin 6 and the pad of elastic material 4, but these items may beincorporated into the support 7 or even disappear into the support 7 sothat the latter no longer has any protrusions.

The pad of elastic material 4 is preferably situated close enough to thepivot pin 6 to allow the handle 1 to be ejected when the handle 1 isresting on the surface 2 of the support 7 and when the handle 1 isunlocked, that is to say when the handle 1 is resting on the surface 2of the support 7 while being in the unlocked state. The pad 4 is thenideally placed as close as possible to the pivot pin 6. The closer thepad of elastic material 4 is placed to the pivot pin 6, the lower theforce needed to eject the handle 1 to an extent sufficient to make itaccessible for extraction. The constraint regarding the elasticity ofthe pad of elastic material 4 is then relaxed.

The handle 1 comprises a passage hole through which the pivot pin 6passes. The passage hole is advantageously oblong. The long dimension ofthe oblong hole is preferably parallel to the surface 2 of the support 7when the handle 1 is resting on the surface 2 of the support 7. Thislong dimension in the case of FIG. 1 is also parallel to the bearingsurface 3. Thus, the handle 1 can be folded down more easily uponinstallation and is also ejected more easily upon extraction. The riskof the handle 1 jamming in the system is thus reduced. In the preferredcase of an aircraft console, the risk of jamming lies in particular atthe console locking rail.

The handle 1 is preferably U-shaped, the branches of the U beingconnected to the central bar of the U by angles which are more or lessright angles. The handle 1 is positioned around the center of theequipment when the handle 1 is folded back onto the surface 2 of thesupport 7. The equipment advantageously comprises a pad of elasticmaterial 4 on each of the branches of the U, a pivot pin 6 beingsituated at each end of the U. The equipment is, for example, more orless rectangular. Throughout the remainder of the text, unless otherwisementioned, the description will describe only that which occurs at oneof the branches of the U, and so only the pad of elastic material 4belonging to said branch of the U will be considered.

The bearing surface 3 is preferably more or less flat and more or lessparallel to the pivot pin 6. Thus, the pad 4 compressed will be highlyefficient at ejecting the handle 1 during extraction because the forceexerted by the pad 4 as the pad 4 relaxes will be colinear with themovement of the handle 1 at the start of the ejection of the handle 1.The bearing surface 3, in the presence of a tight constraint on smallbulk, will have a small size. The size of the pad of elastic material 4may then, upon compression, extend and protrude beyond the bearingsurface 3. Particular shear forces may then be exerted on certain typesof pad of elastic material 4.

The pad 4 is advantageously more or less parallelepipedal, that is tosay that it is composed of a parallelepipedal body which may containcavities and on which protrusions may be housed. The pad 4, bycomparison with other types of elastic components of the spring type,and for a given size, offers more effective ejection of the handle 1upon extraction, in that the force that the pad 4 can supply as itrelaxes is greater than the force that an elastic component of thespring type can supply.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a profile view of a detail of FIG. 1. Thehandle 1 comprises an oblong hole 8 through which the pivot pin 6passes. The pad 4 has, on the parallelepipedal body of the pad 4, aprotrusion 10 which is fixed by adhesive bonding into a counterbore 9that the boss 5 has. A form other than cylindrical for the counterbore 9may be anticipated. The pad 4 has a side 11 closest to the bearingsurface 3 and in this region the pad 4 has a corner 13 furthest from thepivot pin and a corner 12 closest to the pivot pin. The furthest corner13 is preferably rounded, which corresponds to a cavity on theparallelepipedal body of the pad 4. The parallelepipedal body of the pad4 is advantageously fixed by adhesive bonding to the surface 14 of theboss 5.

As a preference, the boss 5 comprises a counterbore 9 in which aprotrusion 10 of the pad 4 is housed, so as to reduce the risks of thepad 4 being driven out of the boss 5 when the handle 1 is folded backonto the surface 2 of the support 7. The relative secureness of the boss5 of the support 7 and of the pad 4 is thereby enhanced.

The shape of the pad 4 is preferably structured so that on the side 11of the pad 4 closest to the bearing surface 3 there is less material atthe corner 13 furthest from the pivot pin 6 than there is at the corner12 closest to the pivot pin 6. Thus, when the handle 1 is folded backonto the surface 2 of the support 7, the formation of a protruding lipis prevented, which lip could have been sheared off by the bearingsurface 3 especially if the bearing surface 3 is, for small-sizeconstraint reasons, of small size. Such a shape of pad 4 makes itpossible at the same time to improve the force supplied by therelaxation of the pad 4 during ejection of the handle 1 and thedeformation of the pad 4 as it compresses, when the handle 1 is foldedback onto the surface 2 of the support 7. In a first preferredembodiment of the pad 4, the corner 13 furthest from the pivot pin 6 isrounded, as in FIG. 2. In a second preferred embodiment of the pad 4,the corner 13 furthest from the pivot pin 6 is chamfered, the roundedshape of the first embodiment being replaced by one or more inclinedplanes.

The pad 4 is made of elastic material. The elastic material is both softenough to allow the pad 4 to be compressed when the handle 1 is foldedback onto the surface 2 of the support 7 upon installation and hardenough to succeed in ejecting the handle 1 upon extraction in spite ofthe possibility that the handle 1 might be jammed in its folded-backposition. For that, the elastic material preferably has a Shore hardnessof about 60.

The elastic material also preferably has good reliability in a veryaggressive environment. In the preferred case of an aircraft console,there are many types of attack to which the pad 4 may be subjected.These are, for example, chemical attacks, such as a beverage knockedover on the console by the pilot, or alternatively dust or sandinsinuating into the console, or alternatively mold or fungi growing atthe console. The elastic material is advantageously a silicone resin,for example of the RTV147 type. The pad 4 is advantageously fixed to thesurface 14 of the boss 5 by adhesive bonding. The adhesive bondingpreferably uses a silicone adhesive, for example of the RTV581 type.

The equipment preferably comprises catches for securing the equipmentand the handle 1, so as to stabilize the relative position of theequipment and of the system once the equipment has been installed,keeping the handle 1 in the folded-back position in spite of theopposing force of relaxation of the pad of elastic material 4 which isthen compressed.

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a perspective view of a preferredembodiment of another part of the equipment according to the invention.The surface 2 of the support 7 is a setting-down plane 15 situated underthe central part 18 of the equipment which here is depicted in the formof a keyboard with keys. The support 7 surrounds this central part 18which is, for example, more or less rectangular. The handle 1 surroundsthe support 7 when the handle 1 is folded back onto the surface 2 of thesupport 7, that is to say onto the setting-down plane 15, moving in thedirection of the arrow D. One of the catches, the catch 17, is builtinto the handle 1, the catch 17 here being depicted in the form of afastener. The catch 17 is advantageously situated where the branch andthe central bar of the U of which the handle 1 is formed meet. Thehandle 1 comprises a support plane 16 parallel to the pivot pin 6.

As a preference, at least one catch 17 for securing the equipment isbuilt into the handle 1 so as simultaneously to lock the handle 1 andthe equipment, this preventing any vibration of the handle 1 when theequipment is installed in a system which is itself made to suffervibration. In the preferred case of the console of an aircraft, thehandle 1 therefore prevents the production of a rattling noisedisagreeable to the pilot.

The catch 17 built into the handle 1 is advantageously borne by asupport plane 16 parallel to the pivot pin 6. As a preference, the catch17 is a fastener and the surface 2 of the support 7 is a setting-downplane 15 pierced in line with the axis of the fastener 17. Thus, thesetting-down plane 15 is immobilized by being trapped between thesupport plane 16 and the structure of the system in which the equipmentis installed, this structure being a locking rail 19 in FIG. 4.

The catch 17 built into the handle 1 is preferably situated far enoughaway from the pivot pin 6 to allow the handle 1 to be ejected when thehandle 1 is resting on the surface 2 of the support 7 and when thehandle 1 is unlocked. Ideally, the latch 17 is situated where the branch23 and the central bar 24 of the U meet, as in FIG. 3. The further thecatch 17 is away from the pivot pin 6 and therefore from the pad 4,which for its part is preferably situated close to the pivot pin 6, thelower the force that the pad of elastic material 4 has to supply inorder to eject the handle 1, and therefore the more relaxed theconstraint on the elasticity of the pad of elastic material 4.

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a view in cross section of a detail of FIG.3. The catch 17 here is advantageously a fastener of the DZUS type. Whenthe handle 1 is folded back toward the setting-down plane 15 uponinstallation, the DZUS fastener 17 which comprises a central slot with ahelical thread is screwed around a wire-like element 20. A locking rail19 is secured to the structure of the system in which the equipment isinstalled; the rail 19 is, for example, secured to the structure of anaircraft console. Screwing the DZUS fastener 17 onto the wire-likeelement 20 simultaneously locks the handle 1 and the equipment via thesupport plane 16, the setting-down plane 15 and the locking rail 19. Oneof the forces that the relaxation force of the compressed pad of elasticmaterial 4 may have to overcome is a remaining attachment at the regionof attachment 22 between the DZUS fastener 17 and the locking rail 19.

The invention is preferably applied to aircraft console suspendedequipments, generally of rectangular shape, which are advantageouslylocked to the console by six fasteners which may be DZUS fasteners. Fourfasteners may then be placed at the corners of the equipment, includingthe two fasteners incorporated into the handle 1. Two more fasteners maybe placed in the middle of the long sides of the rectangular shape.

1-20. (Canceled).
 21. An equipment for a console comprising: a support and a pivoting handle assembled by at least one pivot pin; at least one catch configured to secure the equipment and the pivoting handle to the console, the pivoting handle configured to rest on at least one surface of the support, wherein the handle includes at least one bearing surface and the equipment further comprises at least one pad of elastic material, said at least one pad configured to be compressed against the support by the bearing surface when the handle is resting on the surface of the support, the equipment being fixed to the console.
 22. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one pad is fixed to the support.
 23. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the bearing surface is substantially flat and substantially parallel to the at least one pivot pin.
 24. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the support comprises a boss that includes the at least one pivot pin and the at least one pad.
 25. The equipment as claimed in claim 24, wherein the boss includes a counter bore in which a protrusion of the at least one pad is housed.
 26. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, further comprising a passage hole in the handle through which the at least one pivot pin passes, the passage hole being oblong.
 27. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one pad is substantially parallelepipedal.
 28. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the elastic material is a silicone resin.
 29. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the elastic material has a Shore hardness of about
 60. 30. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one pad is fixed to the equipment by adhesive bonding.
 31. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the corner furthest from the at least one pivot pin is rounded.
 32. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the corner furthest from at least one the pivot pin is chamfered.
 33. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one pad is configured to eject the handle when the handle is resting on the surface of the support in the unlocked state.
 34. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein one of said at least one catch is built into the handle to simultaneously lock the handle and the equipment.
 35. The equipment as claimed in claim 34, wherein the at least one catch is configured allow said at least one pad to eject the handle when the handle is resting on the surface of the support and when the handle is unlocked.
 36. The equipment as claimed in claim 34, wherein the at least one catch built into the handle is borne by a support plane parallel to a pivot pin axis.
 37. The equipment as claimed in claim 34, wherein the at least one catch built into the handle is a fastener and the surface of the support is a setting-down plate pierced in line with an axis of the fastener.
 38. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the handle is U-shaped, branches of the U being connected to a central bar of the U by angles that are substantially right angles.
 39. The equipment as claimed in claim 38, wherein the equipment further comprises a pad of elastic material on each of the branches of the U, a pivot pin being situated at each end of the U.
 40. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein the equipment is an aircraft console suspended equipment.
 41. The equipment as claimed in claim 21, wherein said at least one pad has less material on a side proximate the at least one bearing surface at a corner furthest from the at least one pivot pin than at a corner closest to the at least one pivot pin. 